Improvement in means for reefing sails



I. SOLOMON.

Means for Beefing Sails. I N0, 163 819, Patented May25 1875.

WITNESSES g INVENTOR- QV M W y m Q i Attorney THE GRAPHICCO.PHOTO-LITH.39&4| PARK PLAOLNY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAO SOLOMON, OF SOLOMONS ISLAND, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEME NT IN MEANS FOR REEFING SAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 163,819, dated May 25,1875; application filed December 28, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC SOLOMON, of Solomons Island, in the county ofCalvert and in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Mast- Hoops; and do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My invention relates to hoops used for connecting sails to masts.

In Letters Patent No. 151,169, granted to me May 19, 1874, I claimed amast-hoop provided with a clamp having arms or their equivalents, forlashing the hoop to the sail and bolt-rope at two or more points. Inpractice I have found that these clamps could not be used on thereef-hoops, as these would bind on the mast. To obviate this difficultyis the object of my invention; and to this end the nature of myinvention consists in connecting the reef-hoops to the sail by lacings,and connecting them together and to the first hoop above by one or moreropes, and this latter hoop by two inclined side ropes to the sail, allas hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, whichrepresents aside View of a mast and sail embodying my invention.

A represents the mast, and B the sail. O 0 represent the reef-hoopsattached to the sail by the lacings a a, while the hoops D D above thereef-hoops are connected to the sail by my patented clamps bb.Thereef-hoops O O are connected together and to the sail by means of oneor more cords or ropes, d, which may be tied to eyes formed on thehoops, or otherwise attached thereto.

It will be seen that about half of the hoops D, connecting the sail tothe mast, are secured by my patented device, heretofore referred to,while the remaining portion 0 of the hoops below are loosehoops, andconnected together by the guide-ropes d. The numberof the hoops D and Ois regulated according to the intended amount of reef.

I am aware that it is not new to connect the sails to the mast by meansof loose hoops, which are connected by balance-lines, which extend fromtop to bottom of the mast. In such case the balance-lines extend fromtop to bottom; but by using my patented device upon the upper hooks, andapplying the guide-ropesto the lower loose reef-hoops, the substantialadvantages of my aforesaid patent may be retained, while provision ismade for reefing the sail.

In raising and lowering the sail the reefhoops O 0 will be held onplanes at right angles with the mast, and therefore not bind thereon,but move up and down easily.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with a mast and sail, A B, of the upper hoops D,connected directly to the sail by the clamps b, and the lower loosehoops 0, connected to the lacings a, and connected together and to thesail by the guideropes at, substantially as and for the purposes hereinset forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my handthis26th day of December, 1874.

ISAAC SOLOMON. Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. BRAMHALL, O. L. EVERT.

